It was supposed to be a nail-biting Week 18 for the Cincinnati Bengals, and in many ways, it was-but not for the reasons they’d hoped. After beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 19-17 on Saturday, all they could do was watch and wait. They needed two things to happen on Sunday: the Denver Broncos to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins to fall to the New York Jets. Spoiler alert: only one of those went their way.
HBO’s Hard Knocks cameras captured the exact moment the Bengals’ playoff hopes died. While the Dolphins were busy losing to the Jets, the Broncos crushed the Chiefs 38-0. The footage showed Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and his players glued to the screen as Denver raced to an early 14-0 lead-and it didn’t get any better from there. Social media had a field day with the Bengals’ dejected faces.
Chiefs and Broncos fans mock Bengals after footage reveals team’s reaction to season ending loss
NFL fanswasted no time poking fun at the Bengals. Chiefs and Broncos fans especially seemed to relish Cincinnati’s misery. Comments ranged from “Best day of football in a long time ” to “All I see is pain on their faces at the end .” The clip became an instant meme, as rival fans reveled in the Bengals’ heartbreak.
Related:
Adding to the drama was the Chiefs’ decision to rest key players, including Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. Critics accused Kansas City of tanking the game to keep Cincinnati out of the playoffs, fueling conspiracy theories that the Chiefs wanted to avoid a potential postseason rematch.
Travis Kelce fires back at critics: “We didn’t throw any game”
Kelce didn’t hold back when addressing the accusations on his New Heights podcast. “We didn’t f**king throw any game. The idea that the two-time defending Super Bowl champs might be afraid of anyone is ludicrous,”he said. He added that the Chiefs had already beaten the Bengals in Week 2, so they had nothing to prove.
For Denver, beating Kansas City-even their backups-was a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season. Russell Wilson looked sharp, and the Broncos defense delivered a dominating performance, securing a shutout win and dashing Cincinnati’s playoff dreams in the process.
For Bengals fans, the day was a bitter pill to swallow. Watching their team win on Saturday only to see their hopes crushed on Sunday was a uniquely cruel twist. The Hard Knocks footage felt like pouring salt in the wound, as rival fans turned it into a viral moment.
The Bengals may be licking their wounds, but the offseason is a time for regrouping. For Chiefs and Broncos fans, this little saga is another chapter in their storied rivalry with Cincinnati-a reminder of just how chaotic and unpredictable the NFL can be.
